First The Fountain, Then The Pile (Of Awards)

February 20, 2013 by Dave Haynes

My friends at Arsenal Media are a proud and humbled bunch as they head down in a few days to Digital Signage Expo to switch on the Fountain of Content and pick up a few armfuls of well-earned awards.

Projects involving the Montreal-based company will win awards in 11 categories at the 2013 DSE Apex and Content Awards.

“We strongly believe in this media, and we’ve invested a lot of time to constantly innovate as we develop digital projects and content experiences that meet our clients’ business and marketing objectives,” explains Arsenal President Denys Lavigne in a news release.  “This recognition from the industry suggests that we’re making some good decisions.”

Arsenal was cited for seven Content Awards for the quality of the creative work on different projects. The company received another four nods for Apex Awards – celebrating excellence in the design and execution of digital display technology in public, retail and corporate spaces.

The nominated work ranges from the digital experience for diners at a fast casual Thai restaurant in New York City to a multi-platform digital content program aimed at the mining industry, for heavy equipment giant Caterpillar.

“More than anything,” adds Lavigne, “it’s a credit to our clients’ vision and the level of commitment of our team members and close collaborators. The quality of projects up for awards this year is impressive, and we are honored to be part of this group.”

The Bronze, Silver and Gold winners are announced next Wednesday night at an awards dinner.

Arsenal’s DSE 2013 Content Award Nominations

Project: The Discovery Wall

Category: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation

Project: Christie Digital’s Corporate Lobby – Kitchener, Ontario

Category: Business, Industry & Government

Project: Arsenal Media’s The Fountain of Content

Category: Business, Industry & Government

Project: Digital 100 – Wilfrid Laurier University Centennial Celebrations

Category: Education & Healthcare

Project: Dee Daa Restaurant Digital Signage Network

Category: Food and Beverage

Project: Tourism Montérégie’s Experiential Tower

Category: Hospitality

Project: Caterpillar Touchpoint (In collaboration with Converse Marketing)

Category: Multi-platform

Arsenal’s DSE Apex 2013 Award Nominations

Client: Christie Digital

Project: Corporate Lobby – Kitchener, Ontario

Category: Business, Industry & Government

Client: Arsenal Media

Project: The Fountain of Content

Category: Business, Industry & Government

Client: Dee Daa Restaurant

Project: Digital Signage Network

Category: Food and Beverage

Client: Tourism Montérégie

Project: Experiential Tower

Category: Hospitality

The Digital Signage Expo trade show annually celebrates creative and project excellence and Arsenal Media has won multiple awards in previous years – six in 2012 and four in 2011. No company has approached 11 awards in a single year.

“So much of what passes for digital signage content is just stuff. Stuff that fills the screens but does little else,” says Pat Hellberg, the other half of  The Preset Group and someone who genuinely knows good creative when he sees it. “Arsenal’s content is the exception. They worry about art direction, aesthetics and, most importantly, the customer experience. As a result, their work stands far above the rest of the industry stuff.”

The company has its own booth this year at the show (I think in the past they have hung out with Christie). Booth 739 will have the very cool, totally different Fountain of Content the company first switched on at InfoComm last year. I understand it’s a bit different and has some cheeky, subtle references to common content approaches.

If you want to see creative as it should be done (sorry, there’s still a lot of crap touted as good), make a point of going by.